I just dropped my daughter off at her weekly sports lesson and though we will be reunited shortly we were blowing kisses and waving at each other as if the time apart would be longer…

How grateful I am to be a mother to the precious children God gave me. Especially since I thought that we would only have one son because in 2011 we received a diagnosis that I had no more egg cells to allow for natural pregnancy. I am pleased to say that God’s report trumped man’s report. We have three wonderful children. Thank you Abba Father. In Isaiah 53:1 a question is asked in this prophetic narrative about Jesus, the coming Messiah and what He would accomplish through His life and death of obedience. Who hath believed our report?and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

If you read the 53rd chapter of Isaiah it is a declaration of the freedom Jesus buys for those who choose Him. This freedom was purchased with the precious blood and body of Jesus. Scripture describes it best: Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed( Isaiah 53:4-5).

Could you ever imagine this awesome, magnanimous rescue plan instigated and carried out by God to ransom us not only from our sins but also from sickness, pain, fear and every other kind of torment that are hallmarks from God’s enemy….Who can fathom this kind of generosity? This lavish love?

Isaiah 53:10 goes onto state: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;He hath put Him to grief: When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin….

I believe God’s reports over the world’s reports and I have seen the beautiful fruit thereof. We all get to decide for ourselves if we believe God’s report. The Bible is filled with promises available to those who choose Jesus as the bridge back to God. Hebrews 11:16 says: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Do you believe?

Praise God that He sent His son Jesus…I will never be able to express the gratitude God, Jesus and Holy Spirit are due with words. It’s just not possible. So by the power of His Holy Spirit I purpose to live a life worthy of this precious gift of redemption. Not in perfection but in the righteousness conferred to me by saying yes to Jesus.

Thank you for your gracious generosity Most Holy Heavenly Father sending your Son, Jesus as the Saviour of the world!

Thank you Almighty Jesus for obedience unto death on a cross to buy us back from the enemy of our souls!

Thank you Holy Spirit for teaching us how to live this life of faith in Jesus!

In utter gratitude I bless your precious Name! Holy! Holy! Holy! is Our Lord God Almighty!

Till soon friends

Chantal XXX

Psalm 90:4 says: For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. When you spend time in scripture and learning about the Lord you make awesome discoveries about the majesty of God. One of those discoveries is that God is not a man as we are limited to time and space. God is eternal and He exists outside of time and space….Wow, who can truly understand this concept. Eternity? What does that mean? I encourage you to draw close to the One who knows it all…you’ll be amazed at what you discover 🙂

Our family has a little end of year tradition. We collect ticket stubs, brochures, armbands etc. that we get when we attend events or go travelling throughout the year and gather it up in a little box. On New Year’s eve if we are up to it, 🙂 we unpack the box and reflect on some of the year’s past adventures. We were so blessed to have had wonderful adventures from travelling to South Africa, London, Legoland and others…in 2022. Earlier on New Years Eve we had a little church service as a family thanking God for sustaining us in the past and trusting Him with the future.

So looking back and looking forward, grateful and hopeful reflection and future ponderings can only be done looking through the lens of my faith. I look back and am grateful that we could travel in the greatness of His strength(Isaiah 63). Health challenges could be navigated with the confidence that by His stripes I was healed(Isaiah 53)… which I am currently reminding myself of as well, Praise God!

My son was applying for apprenticeships and we trusted God for that as well and we are pleased to say that we have signed the contract for an upcoming 4 year apprenticeship. Thank you Father! Here Proverbs 3:5-6 proves true yet again. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths.

I cannot believe that my son will soon be sixteen. Trusting the Lord with my precious son has been a significant journey. When I reflect on how God has redeemed our story it is once more a testimony of His loving-kindness. From the first day of kindergarten we embarked on a heart-wrenching journey where we were required to hear of everything our son was lacking socially, scholarly, medically….We had countless meetings with so-called professionals, teachers, other parents, school boards…just writing about it takes my breath away.

One day in May 2016 I had enough. I was tired of feeling hopeless and defeated. I sat with the Lord and we came up with a strategy. I took photos of my son’s school, classroom, sports hall and other places that he frequented. I printed out those photos and wrote prayers underneath the photos. I hung it up on a wall which is our designated prayer wall and prayed intentionally over my son, my other children, teachers, students and other matters concerning my children. Glory to God that I have seen those prayers answered in the most remarkable of ways. Our soon to be sixteen year old son is healthy, kind, respectful, successful but most importantly he loves the Lord. We have trusted God in the midst of these challenges and God has directed our paths for which we are filled with reverence and gratitude. The journey required prayer, speaking forward in our son’s life, looking beyond the challenges of the season, believing God’s Word over what well-meaning professionals said….It was not a walk in the park...But thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14)

So dear ones, as we reflect and look forward I want to invite Jesus, Father God and Holy Spirit into the tiniest detail of ALL of it…My family, my health, my future, my finances, my thoughts, my words and my actions, my peace Acts 17.28 says: In Him we live and move and have our being….I choose to do so because He can be trusted and I need Him!

Life isn’t free from challenges. This journey isn’t for the faint of heart. There is a battle raging in the spirit realm between two Kingdoms of good and evil. However those who surrender to Jesus are on the winning side. He teaches us how to engage in the battles of the day, of the season because on the cross at Calvary Jesus conquered the forces of darkness. Colossians 2:15 says: Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. He was not their prisoner;they were His!

Remember Jesus won the war on our behalves. Let’s start this new year not in our strength but in His. Knowing we already have victory changes the way we navigate our journey through time. I am grateful to be on the winning side. I am a walking talking testimony from the ghettos of South Africa, orphaned and homeless, growing up under an apartheid regime undergoing every kind of abuse….to a redeemed life….blessed with a home in Switzerland with a family of my own and making a positive difference in the lives of those I interact with. God is faithful! However, He will not violate our free will. He can only fight on our behalves if we invite Him to do so. Make Jesus Lord of your life and ask Him for wisdom on the journey. It will be the best first step in your journey ahead.

Happy New Year dear ones,

Chantal